Don't Make Me Laugh
by Harry Potter Fan 1994
Summary: Simple: making a bet. Not so simple: winning the bet. With all his friends watching, Gar Logan has to win over Rachel Roth, and make her...laugh. Sounds easy, doesn't it?  Pairing: BBRae, slight mention of others. Title and rating may change. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! Okay, this is my second and last attempt at BBRae. I deleted my other story cuz I was going nowhere fast. Um...yeah. So, I hope you guys like this better!

(I bet this plotline is overused, but I've never actually read any BBRae AU stories, just the ones that are TT, so please forgive me if it is.)

Disclaimer: I don't own TT

* * *

Rachel Roth hurried through the school hallways, her hood up, her head bent down, as always. No one paid any attention to the freaky, Gothic, supergenius. It's not like she talked to anyone anyway. In fact, the only time anyone _had_ heard her talk was when she was answering questions in a dull monotone. The girl barely even looked up. She spent most of her time in the back of the classroom, even behind the note-passing jocks and cheerleaders, reading her dark poetry. No one bothered her. They never did.

* * *

Garfield Logan, the scrawniest guy on the football field, brightened as his friends laughed at one of his jokes. "I bet I could make _anyone_ laugh!" he announced. Victor Stone, the star linebacker, rolled his eyes. 

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"Okay, guys, break it up!" interjected Kory Anders, captain of the cheerleading squad. It had been lunch time for five minutes and the two were already arguing. Usually it was about vegetables vs. meat, as Gar was vegetarian and Vic was...not. The two grumbled, but listened to her. Vic snapped his fingers, a lightbulb appearing over his head.

"Fine then, we'll _make_ a bet," he said, grinning evilly. Everyone leaned in, anticipating a legend. Vic wasn't about to let them down. "I dare you to make someone laugh." Everyone groaned. "Wait! Not just anyone. Rachel Roth." This time, everyone, minus Gar, gasped.

"Who's Rachel Roth?" asked Gar skeptically. Richard Grayson, also an amazing football player, laughed.

"Of course Gar wouldn't know. She's in all A.P. classes, and he's got nothing." Gar glared, but was still curious. "Rachel Roth is this Gothic girl. She's super smart and she never talks to anyone. She sits by herself over...there." Dick pointed, where a lone, pale girl was eating. Gar felt a strange pang of pity for her. He didn't know how anyone could survive high school without friends.

"It's sad, isn't it?" murmured Kory. "If she'd let me, I'd go talk to her, but she hates me, I think."

Gar's eyes widened in shock. "How could anyone hate _you_?" Kory blushed, but shrugged. She had never let her popularity go to her head. She was one of the kindest people Gar knew. A person who hated her was going to be a very hard nut to crack.

"If you can't make her laugh by the end of this school year, on June sixth, you will have to spend the whole summer wearing a hot pink bikini whenever you go outside your house," said Vic solemnly. His girlfriend, Karen Beecher, who was also Kory's best friend and teammate, chuckled.

"And if I do?" challenged Gar.

"If you do...then I'll wear a robot suit all summer."

"Dude! Not fair! How about you...aw, you can't shave your head, it's already bald...um...wear a dress to the last dance of the school year!" said Gar. Vic rolled his eyes. It was a pretty good one, but his bikini idea was better. It didn't matter, though. Gar would _never_ be able to make Rachel Roth laugh.

"Fine. do you understand and accept these--"

"Yeah, yeah, make her laugh, whatever. Anyone want some tofu surprise?" No one accepted.

* * *

"Hey, uh...Rachel! Yeah, Rachel!" called Gar. The girl stopped hurrying, but didn't turn around. Gar jogged up to her. "Hey, I'm Gar."

The girl nodded, but didn't look at him.

"Look...I, uh, heard that you were really smart and stuff..."

The girl nodded again.

"And I'm not. Actually, I'm pretty dumb. And I need help in my classes. I was wondering, if it's okay with you, if you could tutor me?" he asked hopefully.

The girl paused for the longest time, and then nodded again. Gar beamed.

"Great! So, uh, I'll meet you after school tomorrow, and we can go from there!" The girl hurried away. As soon as she was out of sight, Gar's fake smile vanished. "Weird."

* * *

Sorry it's short. Please tell me what you think! 


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it took so long, it's hard to write the beginning because nothing's really happening yet. Anyway, chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned below.

* * *

"Hey, Rae?" asked Gar about an hour into their tutoring session. Rachel sent a death glare his way, and he winced, making a mental note never to call her 'Rae' again.

Rachel had barely said anything, besides a few words when he needed help with explanations. She got by on nods and shakes of heads. Even so, in the past hour, Gar had mastered the seventh grade pre-algebra book she'd brought, something he hadn't been able to do at the time.

"You wanna hear a joke?" he tried. He'd been asking the same question for a while now, and every time, Rachel raised one violet eyebrow or shook her head. She did both this time. "Aw, come on! It's a really good one! I bet you'll crack up!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I don't laugh," she answered monotonously. "Problem three."

"What about it?" Gar asked confusedly. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh. I mean...it's...uh...x equals twenty?"

Rachel nodded indifferently and Gar pumped his fist into the air, yelling, "SCORE!" Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw the corner of Rachel's mouth twitch a little bit.

"Go me! It's my birthday! Not really! Something, something, I don't know the rest!" he yelled cheerfully. This was the reason the other book had taken so long. He _had_ to congratulate himself after every problem he got right.

Once he'd calmed down, he closed the book. "Now what, oh great master of all things school-related?" Rachel flipped the book back open.

"Problem four."

"But Rae...chel! We've been working on this for ages! Let's play football, one on one!"

"No."

"Video games?"

"No."

"Swimming?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Rachel looked disgusted.

"No."

"Trivial Pursuit? I'll even settle for girl talk!"

"I don't do girl talk."

Gar sighed in exasperation. "Then what _do_ you do?"

"Tutoring."

"Oh ha, ha. You're hilarious, Rachel. And yet, you won't listen to one of my jokes! Just one, okay? Then I'll learn 'til I drop."

"Fine."

"Okay, you might want to prepare yourself. The correct laughing position is to hold your ribs, like this, and double over, like this. You might want to close your eyes, too." Gar guided Rachel into the 'correct laughing position' and she glared at him again, straightening. "Fine, whatever. Anyways, why did the fish cross the road?"

"Fish can't walk."

"Okay, then, why did the fish swim across the road?"

"How do you swim across roads?"

"There was a river in the road, okay? Just answer the question!"

"A road is for cars to drive on. Cars wouldn't be able to drive across a river."

"Then there's a bridge!"

"Then the fish isn't really crossing the road, is it now?" asked Rachel with overexaggerated patience. Gar growled in frustration.

"I give up!"

"Problem four."

The front door of Gar's cozy, but messy, house opened. Mrs. Logan stepped in, smiling at her son.

"Hi, sweetie, I just went over to the dry cleaners. I couldn't get that stink off your socks, what was it? Oh, you brought a new friend! What's your...name?" Mrs. Logan's voice faltered as she looked over Rachel. The tutor was dressed completely in black, almost casual-looking clothes. Her hair and eyes were purple, and her skin almost white as snow. But her fancy-Goth outfit wasn't what bothered Gar's mom the most, it was her expression. She did not look happy.

"Rachel Roth," the girl replied, turning away from the interruption. "Gar, you still haven't done problem four..."

"Um, hey mom," Gar said, laughing nervously. "This is my tutor, Rachel. She's like one of those Mensa geniuses."

"Genii," Rachel corrected.

"Who?"

"Well, then, I'll just be in the kitchen. Please get some real tutoring done in there," Mrs. Logan said with a fake smile.

"Of course," drawled Rachel. Gar shrugged and waved goodbye to his mother.

"She seems nice," Rachel commented.

"She is," Gar answered. "Most of the time. I don't think she likes you very much." The boy quickly slapped his hand over his mouth, hoping he hadn't offended Rachel. There was no telling what she'd do when she was mad.

She sighed. "Yeah. Parents usually don't. I think this is the fifth time I asked you to--"

"Okay, okay. Um...y equals fifteen?" Rachel nodded. "GO ME! I rock! Who's the best? Say it!"

"It."

"Aw, come on Rae...chel. For someone who doesn't laugh, you sure make a lot of jokes." Rachel said nothing. "You've got purple hair! You've got to have a sense of humor to go with that!" Rachel just flipped the page, looking bored. "How come your hair's purple, anyway?"

She didn't answer for a minute. "Prank. A couple of cheerleaders thought it'd be funny to put purple hair dye in my shampoo bottle when we were showering after gym. But I ended up liking the color."

Gar winced. "Cheerleaders?"

"I hate them. Jocks, too."

"I'm a jock," Gar told her, his hurt evident. Rachel thought about that for a minute.

"You're different. Problem five."

"You know, not all cheerleaders are that bad. I mean, sure, there are girls like Kitten Moth and her posse, but they're not all like that. There's this really nice one I know. Her name's Kory Anders."

Rachel practically steamed, and Gar was alarmed at the very sudden change. "You mean that fake, red-headed piece of plastic? Yeah, she's really nice." It was the first of any emotion that Gar had heard from Rachel, but he didn't realize it. She'd just insulted one of his friends, and he wasn't going to stand for it.

"For your _information_, Kory's not a fake. And I hate seeing her miserable, especially for someone like you, who doesn't even appreciate her. You'd better apologize," he warned. Rachel scoffed again and picked up her things.

"Well then, why're you here trying to learn a subject that doesn't even matter to you with _someone like me_ when you could be off comforting the future Mrs. Logan?"

"Excuse me?" exclaimed Gar.

"I'm done here," Rachel said in her usual, cold, calm voice. She walked out the front door, leaving a furious Gar in her wake.

* * *

She couldn't _believe _he was actually friends with that...thing. Kory Anders was at the top of Rachel's 'Most Hated' list.

_Flashback_

_"You stupid Goth! Ha! You live in a shack! Look at this place!" some cheerleader sneered. Some seven or eight of them had gathered outside her house around ten o'clock and were currently throwing every insult they could find at her. Rachel was having an extremely hard time keeping her cool. _

_"Get away from here," she warned. The girls just laughed. _

_"Ready, now!" Kitten Moth yelled._

_Food was flying everywhere, hitting the windows, the walls, and even Rachel. "Stop!" she yelled, but in vain. A redheaded cheerleader climbed up the steps to her house and threw her to the ground, smiling triumphantly as who-knows-what now flew into the open door and broke one of the only decorative items Rachel had; a picture frame. Rage coursed through Rachel's veins, and she got up, pushing the cheerleader out of the house and on to the ground. "Leave me alone!"_

_Kory Anders stared up at her, confused for a second, and then she ran away, just like her other friends. Rachel picked up the picture, the only one she had of her mother, and a single tear fell on to it._

_It took her a month to clean up the mess._

_End Flashback_

That had been almost a year ago. Rachel's hatred of those eight or so girls had not vanished. That didn't count the number of times they insulted her in the hallways, the jocks tried to run her over in Gym, or the disruptions they were in class. As if she didn't already have enough on her mind.

* * *

Gar put away the algebra book, still fuming. Rachel couldn't stereotype people like that, especially not Kory. He was far too angry for his abnormally tiny attention span to notice that Rachel Roth had actually _talked_ during the last fifteen minutes she'd been there. He had no idea how much that really meant.

* * *

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or anything else mentioned below.

* * *

"So, how'd it go yesterday? Did Rachel the Raven split her sides open laughing at your lamest joke?" asked Vic, smirking. Gar glared. It was just before school started, and, because Dick insisted, the three boys waited for Kory and Karen before heading into the school. 

"I _so_ don't wanna talk about it. She's a creep. Dude, the bet's totally off," Gar snarled. Vic's eyebrows shot up.

"No way, the little grass stain ain't givin' up on a bet! Dick, man, you getting this?" Dick muttered absently, craning his head to spot the two friends. "I shouldn't have asked. You're so whipped, it isn't even funny." Again, Dick made no sign that he was listening. "Anyway, you vegetarian midget, you can't call off the bet, that's the same thing as surrendering, which is the same thing as losing. So...the whole summer..."

"Fine!" Gar exclaimed furiously. "But one laugh, and that's it!"

"You know, dude, we have to have proof. So you can either videotape her, or you have to make her laugh in front of one of us," Vic said matter-of-factly. Gar groaned. There was no getting out of this one.

Surprisingly enough, he spotted Karen and Kory before Dick did, and hurried over to the two girls. "Hey Gar," Kory greeted, flashing him a smile. He waved it off, still furious about Rachel.

"Do you--can you--that...Rachel hates you, can you _believe _her?" he snarled. Kory's smile vanished instantly.

"Yeah, I know. And I was only trying to help..."

"Help what?" asked Karen interestedly.

"Rachel got Kitten Moth in trouble somehow, I think Kitten was trying to cheat off her paper or something. Anyway, half the cheerleading squad went over to her house and...I'm not sure what they were throwing at it, but by the time I got there, they had started aiming for her instead of the house."

Gar's jaw nearly hit the floor. "_You _went over to _egg _Rachel's _house_?" he asked, adding unneccessary emphasis. Kory shook her head wildly.

"Oh no! I caught word of it and went over to stop it. But Rachel pushed me out. I guess she thought along the same lines you did." Gar felt horrible. And to think, he'd yelled at the friendless girl for absolutely no reason, after all she'd been through, too. Kory's smile appeared again with a small pink tint on her cheeks as Dick and Vic walked over. Gar took that to mean the conversation was officially over.

* * *

"Rachel! Hey, Rachel!" Gar called. Rachel hurried on in the hallways, ignoring him. He pushed through the crowd, trying to reach her before the bell rang for class. His math room was on the other side of the school. "Hey, Rachel!" he yelled again, grabbing her arm. She shook it off and kept walking, fast enough so that Gar had to jog beside her. "Will you wait up? I play football, I don't run track!" 

"Neither do I," she hissed, walking into her history class. Gar sighed, doubling back and trying to run through the hallways without the teachers noticing. It was the fourth time that day he'd tried to catch her, but she always found a way to avoid him. It made him feel even worse to know that she'd actually trusted him the first time around, and now he'd probably made her think all jocks and cheerleaders were jerks.

"Well, well, Mr. Logan. I'm glad you finally decided to get here on time. One more tardy would have made a detention. Now, please sit down."

* * *

Gar rang the doorbell to Rachel's house, or so Kory had told him. He knew he was starting to look like a stalker, but he really needed to set things straight with Rachel. He was the kind of guy who couldn't have anything on his conscience, or he wouldn't be able to act normally. Plus, he was having day-nightmares about that pink bikini. 

Rachel opened the door a crack, and slammed it shut when she saw who it was. Fortunately, Gar was able to stick his foot in the crack before it closed. Unfortunately, he was now sure he'd be out for the entire football season. Rachel opened the door back up, and Gar was sure she looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. He grinned, but his foot hurt so bad it turned into a grimace.

"Great. Look, Rachel, I'm really, really sorry about yesterday. I didn't listen to your side of the story, and I should have. And if you don't mind, I really need to sit down right now." Rachel rolled her eyes, but helped him into her one-story, rather rundown house and gingerly placed him in a battered armchair. "So where are your parents?" asked Gar, trying to make small talk. Rachel stiffened.

"Not here. Water?"

"Sure. Then where are they?"

Rachel tensed again, filling a cup from the faucet and handing it to Gar. "That's none of your business."

Gar shrugged and gulped it down, while Rachel grabbed some ice from a tiny refrigerator to put in a napkin. She handed it to him and he rested it on his toes, wincing at the contact. "Do you need anything else?" she asked.

"Maybe a kiss to make it better?" Gar suggested. Rachel glared at him.

"Don't push it."

"Aw, come on, you know I was just joking. Hey, you won't believe this!" Rachel made no response, so Gar went on. "I got a C on the math test today!"

"Um...congratulations?" she replied, not particularly impressed.

"That's the best grade I got all year. You're a miracle worker, Rae."

"Don't call me Rae."

"'Kay, Rae. Hey! Whoa, I'm a poet! That's three rhyming words in a row!" Rachel tried not to look too amused, but didn't correct him. There was a comfortable pause following that, while Rachel grabbed a snack out of the pantry, but Gar, being Gar, had to break it.

"I know it's none of my business, but where do your 'rents work? Maybe my folks know them." Rachel's hand slipped, and the food fell to the floor. She cursed, grabbing it and throwing it into the trash, and it finally occured to Gar that she might not want to talk about it. "Sorry...I mean, if they're divorced or something, I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine," she answered impatiently. "Just stop talking." He shut up immediately. Now the silence was anything but comfortable. "My mom walked out when I was six. She hated my dad, and they weren't even married, anyway. Then my dad left, so he could start a big company without the hassle of having a daughter. I live alone." Gar's eyes widened in disbelief, but he didn't dare say anything. "Both of them didn't want me. I was a mistake."

"I'm sorry," Gar muttered. "How do you do it? You have to have a job, then, right? But you're the smartest person in the school! You can't possibly keep up with that!"

Rachel shrugged. "My dad's rich. He sends me an allowance, sort of, every month. It's enough to pay the bills for this place." Gar stood up, limping slightly on his bad foot, and awkwardly patted her shoulder.

"You're welcome at my place, if you want. My mom just needs some getting used to you. But I better get going, before she freaks." He hobbled to the doorway, and then stopped, turning around and scratching the back of his head. "And if it helps any, Rae, I don't think you're a mistake, and I don't think you should believe that either."

He could have sworn, before she closed the door, that he saw the corner of her mouth flicker into a small smile.

* * *

This one is kind of short, and rushed, so I'm sorry...I have a problem with rushing things, and I'm trying to get better...so again, sorry if it isn't all that great in these first chapters, but when it gets to the more important stuff, it'll make a whole lot more sense. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own TT or any squirrels...if it's necessary to disclaim them...

* * *

"Hut, hut, HIKE!" 

"OUCH!" yelled Gar, falling flat on his face.

"TIME!" yelled the coach, rushing on to the field. _Thank goodness this is just practice, _he thought irritably. "Logan, what do you think you're doing? This is football practice, not naptime! Get off the ground, and stay off it!"

"Sorry, Coach," Gar groaned. "I kinda had a door slam on my foot yesterday, and I haven't actually tried running...until fifteen seconds ago." The coach sighed, running a hand through his buzz-cut, which is a rare talent. There isn't really much you can do with a buzz-cut.

"Grayson, Stone, help him inside, and get Nurse May. Rest of you, I want three laps around the field until they get back. Go!" Dick and Vic hoisted Gar up. He was pretty light, so it would've only taken one of them, but Gar didn't mind.

"How'd you mess up your leg, man?" asked Vic, walking off the field.

"Rachel. She got kinda mad about the whole Kory thing...which you don't know about. Nevermind. I was trying to get her to talk to me and she was trying to slam the door in my face and...yeah." Dick frowned.

"What Kory thing?"

"Don't worry about it. No one is in any way harming her mentally, physically, or emotionally, so you don't have to get all worked up." Gar knew he wouldn't use half those words on a regular basis, but that was the practiced reply to Dick for anything concerning Kory. Otherwise, he'd blow his top. Currently, he was satisfied with the answer, but glanced over to the practicing cheerleaders to make sure she was really there.

"You sure you gonna be okay? I mean, if you can't run, you can't play," Vic said worriedly. Gar shrugged.

"Then I won't. I don't think I was ever that great anyway. I'm not really big enough to play." Vic slapped him on the shoulder.

"Aw, you will be, man, one day. A very long way away, but one day." Gar smirked.

"Yeah, whatever. You guys had better go back out there, or Coach'll make everyone run five extra laps." Dick and Vic waved goodbye, and Gar hobbled into the nurse's office alone.

When he entered, he realized he wasn't quite as alone as he had previously thought. The nurse was currently patching up a nasty cut on Rachel's arm, mumbling nothings to herself in an overly high-pitched voice. Rachel turned, nodding at Gar when she recognized him, and he made his way over to her. "What happened?"

"It's just a scratch."

"But what happened?"

"Nothing. I was just pushed up against the fence when everyone was leaving. It's a downside to being unpopular," she muttered. Gar felt like snapping something in two. What did Rachel do to deserve having it so hard? She couldn't even walk out of the school without getting hurt.

"It's not infected, dearie. Can I help you?" the nurse asked Gar. She was a very round woman, who loved bright colors, and was so nice, it was scary. Gar certainly thought so, but didn't voice it.

"Um...I think I broke a toe," he said lamely. He'd hoped to wait before Rachel was out of the office, so she wouldn't know it was her fault. Her cheeks were tinged slightly pink with embarrassment and guilt. "I tripped on the stairs yesterday." The pink faded.

"Tsk, tsk. So clumsy. But that's fine, dear, just come here and let Nurse patch you up!" the woman replied cheerily.

Gar nearly jumped as Rachel leaned near his ear and started to whisper, but it didn't really feel all that bad. "You didn't really trip on the steps, did you?" He shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Rachel sighed, pulling a windbreaker over her T-shirt.

The nurse couldn't really do much about it, so she advised Gar to sit as much as possible, not run so much, and eat his green vegetables. He didn't bother asking why the last instruction was necessary, but held out an arm to Rachel in mock-courtesy. "You wanna come over to my house? If you're not still mad at me, I mean. 'Cause, you know, I never really finished that problem...whatever it was..."

"Five."

"Yeah! That! Whaddya say?" Rachel strode past him, ignoring his offered hand.

"Whatever."

Autumn was quickly ending, and most leaves were already dry and crumbled on the sidewalks. Those that remained on the trees were mostly just caught between the branches. Tiny creatures that lived in them were hurrying around, storing up for the winter ahead, including...

"SQUIRRELS!" Gar yelled enthusiastically. Rachel sighed, rolling her eyes.

"No, Gar. It's obvioiusly a whale. Can't you see the fins and blubber?" Gar stuck his tongue out at her and ran to catch the animal, but it scurried away. He returned empty-handed with a huge grin on his face.

"Nothing like a little bit of nature watching after school," he drawled grandly.

"No, there isn't. I doubt you could find a less boring hobby in the world," Rachel muttered.

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. It's the farthest thing from boring. I bet there are more animals tackled in one forest than there is in three football games. And it's not all violence either. You just don't understand the wonders nature provides," he said, half-closing his eyes and slowly swinging his arms in a circle. Rachel slapped her forehead.

"And you do? What has this world come to? And if you don't mind, stop trying to talk like you're some naturalist monk or something, it's getting on my nerves."

"_Everything _I do gets on your nerves," Gar groaned. Rachel shrugged.

"Yeah, it kinda does."

The rest of the walk home was comfortably silent, besides Gar's occasional squirrel/chipmunk issues. Mrs. Logan was not there, much to Rachel's relief. Her presence was extremely uncomfortable, mostly because Rachel had no idea how to act around parents.

Gar dropped his backpack on the floor, plopping down on the couch and reaching for the remote, only to be stopped by Rachel. His eyes widened as he remembered what he was supposed to be doing, and Rachel took out the old Algebra book.

"Let's start on quadratic equations, Gar."

"No! What happened to good old adding and minus-ing?" he groaned, eyeing the book apprehensively.

"They're still there. Look." She pointed to a barely discernable plus sign in he middle of what looked like, to Gar, an impossible equation. He anticipated a very long tutoring session.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans

* * *

Amazingly, on his next math test, Gar recieved a B-plus. Even Rachel looked pretty astounded when she heard the news, though she didn't admit how impressed she was. Meanwhile, the two were becoming fast friends, in their own, strange way. Day after day, it refused to stop bugging Gar that Rachel sat all alone in her classes and lunch, so he decided he'd introduce her to the gang. 

"No," Rachel said firmly, slamming her locker shut.

"But Rachel--"

"No. I am never going within five feet of one of those preps again." Gar pouted.

"But I swear, they're all awesome! I'm pretty sure the only one that'll take any getting used to is Dick, but if Kory likes you, then so will he!" Rachel shook her head again. Socializing with those kind of people did not bode well, and she was still getting used to the idea that Kory Anders meant well, after Gar had explained the whole incident to her. Baby steps, she decided. Apparently, Gar was not satisfied with that.

"No, Gar."

"Please, Rachel? Pretty please? Pretty please with whipped cream and chocolate icing and hot fudge and sprinkles and...I'm hungry, let's go to lunch!" Gar grabbed her hand, effectively catching her while she was distracted, and pulled her all the way to his table.

* * *

_Worst day ever_, Gar groaned, stopping a few feet away from his table. _They just HAD to sit here today._

Kitten Moth was chatting it up with Dick, or was trying to, anyway. Fred 'Fang' Ericson, Kitten's boyfriend (until she got Dick ask her out) was also there, discussing the football team's chances of winning the championship with Vic. Xavier Redd, Johnny Rancid, Billy Newman, and a whole bunch of guys from the football team had joined them, most attempting to flirt with Kory and failing miserably. Gar didn't mind them, but was pretty sure Rachel wouldn't go for it.

"Um...hey guys," Gar greeted weakly. The entire, crowded table looked up.

"Hey man, what's up?" chorused between the lot of them.

"Hey, Gar! You off the team with your broken leg or whatever?" called Billy in his rather thick Southern accent. Gar felt Rachel shrink behind him, and shrugged.

"It wasn't just that...anyway, this is Rachel." Rachel stepped out from behind him, and Gar fought the urge to laugh. Rachel had never seemed shy before this. Sure, she wasn't inclined to talk that much, but she was never _shy_.

"What's that nerd doing here?" asked Johnny rather blantantly. Rachel shot him a glare, and he cowered in his seat. However, it was apparent that's what everyone else was thinking, too.

"Shut up, Johnny, she's a friend, and she's sitting with us. Deal." He climbed in and pulled Rachel down beside him. Everyone gave them a wide berth stared at them with no mercy, waiting for whatever would happen next.

"Gar, let me go, okay? I don't like this," Rachel whispered furiously. Gar shook his head.

"Well?" he asked the rest of the group, unable to keep a little bit of anger from trickling into his voice. Couldn't they see that Rachel was a normal human being? What would it take to get them to realize that, a tap dance? Kory opened her mouth to say something, but Fang beat her to it.

"Well...can't believe what the dog dragged in this time. A huge piece of Gothic trailer trash." A few people sniggered, and Kitten added to it.

"A trailer's too good for her. She lives in a box outside the school!" Kory looked horrified, and tried to say something about it again, but now a whole barrage of snide comments where thrown Rachel's way. The violet-eyed girl could barely restrain herself, and stood up.

"I get it, I'm not good enough for you guys. Whatever. You're stupid, swollen heads were taking up too much space anyway." She walked out, and Gar stood up, too.

"What is it with you people?" he yelled in a rage. "So what if she isn't the easiest person to talk to, or that she can't afford to live somewhere expensive? At least she gives more chances than you. You could've at least tried. Don't you think I'd have a good reason to bring her over here? Maybe she's a friend of _mine_, forget about what _you_ think about her. You're idiots, all of you. You'd better be gone by the time I'm back here." He rushed out after Rachel, not exactly knwoing if he meant his four closest friends as well. They could have at least _tried_ to help.

"Rachel? Hey, Rae, where are you?" He broke out into a run, ignoring whatever the nurse said about staying off his bad foot. He found Rachel at her locker, getting her stuff ready for her next class. "Rachel?"

"Just leave me alone, Gar."

"Rachel, I swear, they aren't all like that--"

"Yes, they are."

Gar paused for a minute. "Okay, maybe they _are_ all like that. But there's some who's heads aren't nearly as thick as all the others, and they'll change, Rachel. I did."

Rachel sighed. "Didn't I already tell you, Gar? You didn't change, you've always welcomed everyone. They don't change, Gar, believe me, at least not until they're homeless from not having a good education and friendless because they don't have money anymore. _Then_ they change." Gar chuckled.

"Yeah, that sounds like the rest of my life, doesn't it? Come on, Rachel. It's okay. Give me a hug." Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"No."

"Okay, whatever. I won't tell you to give them another chance. _Now_ will you...oh, great." Gar's eyes narrowed, and Rachel followed his line of vision to see four people heading towards them. Dick, Kory, Karen, and Vic.

"Hey," said Vic uneasily. Gar glared, and Rachel ignored him, shuffling about in her locker. "Listen, Rachel?"

"What?" she replied sharply. Vic winced.

"We're sorry about the way we were all acting. Don't listen to those guys, they have no idea what they're talking about. Gar's a pretty good judge, and if you're his friend, we hope you'd be ours, too," cut in Karen, holding out her hand. Gar nudged Rachel's elbow, but she didn't move. "Hey, girl, I don't bite."

"Gar does," grumbled Dick. "Midget nearly snapped my hand off when I tried to throw his tofu burger out the window." Kory giggled at this, and for some reason, Rachel decided she was okay with them. Maybe it was the way they were so easy around her, when others stared as she passed, muttering behind her back. Maybe it was because Gar trusted them, that she felt she could trust them, too. She shook hands with Karen just as the bell rang.

"Alright!" cheered Vic. "Let's get going, I'm gonna be late for science. See ya later!" He, and Dick left.

"Rachel, we're having a little movie night this Friday, it's like a little tradition. You wanna come with?" asked Karen. Rachel's eyes widened, but she nodded. Kory lunged and hugged her, knocking the breath out of her.

"Wonderful!" They left as well, leaving her and a fuming Gar.

"Sure, you let _Kory_ hug you, but not me!" he mock-whined. Rachel rolled her eyes, and, to Gar's surprise, embraced him for a tenth of a second. It was like wind, he barely felt it, but had expected a longer one. It would have been...nice. "Why'd you let go so fast?"

Rachel shrugged and walked off to class, calling over her shoulder, "You bite."

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or Willy Wonka.

* * *

"SUGAR!" Gar yelled, rushing for the snacks. He popped five pieces of candy in his mouth at once, and then washed it down with a can of pop. Rachel made sure to stay clear out of his way while he sugar-rushed his way out of the kitchen, giggling in a high-pitched voice and practically bouncing off the walls. Vic came up behind him and grabbed him in a headlock. 

"Calm. Down," the huge teen said. Gar struggled for a minute, and then relaxed.

"Sorry, Vic. I forgot I wasn't supposed to touch the sugar. But it looked so GOOD. And it was just calling my name!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and squeaked, "Gar! Gar! Come eat me, Gar!"

"Yeah, yeah, save it, pipsqueak. We've heard it before. Let's go swimming before it gets too dark."

Rachel grimaced. "Swimming?"

"Yeah! I've got a pool in my backyard! As soon as Dick and Kory get here...I think that's them." The two had just rang the doorbell, and Vic hurried over to let them in, while Karen walked in the room, wiping off her hands with a dish towel.

"Is that Dick and Kory? Took them long enough. I finished cleaning that mess Gar made on the carpet, knocking that vase over..." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"We probably should've put plastic down, or maybe have a safety net up. Gar and sugar don't mix." Karen laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly, as Kory barrelled out of nowhere and hugged Rachel, nearly knocking her over.

"You came!"

"Yeah..." Rachel choked out. Kory released her, apologizing.

"I _drove_ you over here, but of course, Rachel's the one that gets the hug," grumbled Dick, slipping his keys into his pocket. Kory giggled, reaching over and giving him an unecessarily loud kiss on the cheek.

"Are you happy now?" Dick valiantly attempted to laugh along with everyone else, but forgot to take a breath first. Rachel was starting to feel sorry for the poor guy.

"CANNONBALL!" The shout came from outside. Vic swore, momentarily distracted as he ran out to stop Gar from soaking his house, but it was too late. He only got out fast enough to get drenched as well. The four still inside cringed as Vic started to scream and shout at Gar.

Karen sighed. "And I thought they might have gone five minutes without starting an argument..."

Once everyone got calmed down and situated (Gar in a corner wearing a dunce hat, courtesy of Vic) Karen made two gigantic bowls of popcorn and popped in a DVD. They had discarded the idea of swimming, since Gar had announced that the water was freezing. "Wicked Scary III! Gar, you might want to close your eyes and cover your ears, 'cause this is even _scarier_ than one and two!"

Gar's eyes widened. "That's impossible!" he declared.

"_I_ could be scarier than one and two," Rachel muttered. Everyone was quiet for a minute.

"Is that a challenge?" asked Vic.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you, Rachel Roth, swear that during this entire movie you will not once scream, run out of the room, hide behind various people and/or articles of furniture, close your eyes, cover your ears, or in any other way show signs of fear, terror, horror, etcetera?"

Rachel stared blankly for a second. "Um, yes?"

"Okay. Where's the remote?" Rachel frowned in confusion, but the moment of solemnity was over. Everyone was bustling around, trying to find the remote someone had misplaced. After five minutes or so, Rachel got up and pressed the power button on the T.V. Again, everyone stared except Kory, who'd gone to get more popcorn.

"Rebel," Dick muttered, shaking his head disbelieveingly. Rachel rolled her eyes and pressed 'play.'

* * *

By the end of the movie, Gar had sucked his thumb so much it looked like it had shrunk, Kory had disappeared as a shivering, whimpering lump somewhere in Dick's arms, and Karen and Vic were holding each other and staring wide-eyed at the screen. Only Rachel remained silent and unmoving, swallowing the fear and forcing herself to stay calm. 

"See? It wasn't that bad," she scoffed.

"You're crazy," Dick muttered darkly. His face had gone pale, and he was clutching on to Kory for dear life. "What about when she walked into the basement, and the lights turned off by themselves, and then there was a hand on the lightswitch, and no body, and she went over to look and then..." He shuddered.

"Don't bring that up again!" Karen hissed. Vic agreed, staring at Rachel with a newfound respect.

"Alright, well, whatever. Do you want me to make more popcorn? Then we can watch Barbie Princess in Fairytaleland or whatever." The comment elicited a smile from most of the five, and Rachel considered her 'comforting' job finished.

* * *

It was now at least a half hour after the movie had finished, and everyone was less shaky. Karen had been talking basically the whole time, with little add-ins from Vic. Rachel sat and listened, not used to talking to people that much. Dick and Kory were off in their own little world, the cheerleading captain still a bit horror-struck. Gar had taken a seat beside Rachel, and was absentmindedly fidgeting. He jumped up suddenly, much to everyone's surprise. 

"Guess what? Me and Rachel are gonna do standing comedy! She's really good!" he announced.

"Firstly, it's stand-_up_ comedy. Secondly, no."

"C'mon, Rae, you say no to everything!"

"For a good reason. Don't call me Rae."

"See? Another no-no!"

"No-no...?"

"Alright, alright, break it up, you two. You're fighting like an old married couple. Are you comedy-ing it up or not?" asked Vic. Rachel turned away to hide her blush, and Gar's shoulder's slumped.

"I guess not." He sat down in a huff, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Whatever. Just start it." Gar grinned and jumped up before stifling a yawn.

"I knew you'd see it my way! Okay. Why did the chicken cross the road?"

Everyone was quiet. "To get to the other side?" Rachel tried. Gar snapped his fingers.

"How'd you know?" Dick and Vic groaned, while Kory giggled in appreciation. "Okay, next one. Why did the crickets cross the road?" Rachel smirked.

"Because the guy on the other side was telling bad jokes, and the crickets had to be there to chirp because no one was laughing."

"Nice," chuckled Karen.

"No! It's because they were best friends with the chicken, duh! Next joke. Why did Vic cross the road?" Rachel was stumped.

"Um...because there was a football game on the other side?"

"Nope! He crossed the road to eat the chicken and the crickets, like the disgusting carnivore he is. Next joke!"

"I do not eat crickets! The chicken sounded good, but _crickets_?" argued Vic.

"I wouldn't put it past you! You're an insult to vegetarians like me everywhere!" replied Gar. Rachel sighed, wondering if all of their arguments were as ridiculously annoying as this. Judging by the worn out look on Karen, Dick, and Kory's faces, this was probably old stuff. _They'd_ given up hope for an end to it.

"Someone's a little cranky. Is it past your bedtime, Gar?" Rachel said. Vic held up his hand for a high-five.

"I like this one! Let's keep her!" he said gleefully. Rachel started smiling in spite of herself. This was definitely new. No one had even ever jokingly mentioned accepting her before. She liked these people too, regardless of annoying meat vs. vegetarian showdowns.

"Whatever," Gar grumbled. He yawned. "And it is SO not my bedtime, especially on a Friday night. I could stay up all night if I wanted to. I'm the biggest party animal you'll ever meet." He sank back down against the couch, still grumbling.

"It_ is _getting kinda late," Dick said apologetically. "We'd better head home. You ready to go, Kor?" By the look on her face, she was _not_ ready to go anywhere, let alone outside in the dark, where who knows what existed from the movie, but she consented.

"I oughtta send someone after you two, I don't trust you guys alone," Vic joked. Dick flushed a bright red and turned to glare at Vic before heading out the door. "Don't you love making things awkward between those two? I bet they'll sit through that whole car ride and not say a word now." Karen slapped him on the arm as Gar snored suddenly. "Well. I guess he's out, too."

"Gar, wake up," Rachel said crossly, shaking him. "It's time to go."

"Five...more...minutes..." Rachel sighed.

"This could be difficult..."

"You're telling me," Karen said. "Hey, Gar, you gotta leave. Now. Get up." Gar muttered something about a teddy bear and grabbed Rachel's arm, yanking her on to his lap. She gave a little yelp, pushing him away as Vic roared with laughter.

"Wow, Rachel, you must make a pretty good teddy bear." She blushed again, no longer caring how delicate she was in waking Gar up. The sooner she got out of here, the better.

"No, teddy...don't run away...I won't let Vic eat you..."

"Gar, shut _up_," Rachel groaned. Vic was nearly crying.

"You better watch out, Rach, 'cause I'm hungry. Aw, no, he is NOT drooling all over my couch!" Vic's laughs died away as he picked up Gar by the feet and hung him upside-down. Gar woke immediately, flailing and screaming. "No drooling, you _party animal_. The name makes sense now. Come on, you've gotta get going."

"LET ME DOWN!" Vic dropped him headfirst.

"Couldn't you have done that five minutes ago? It would've saved time and embarrassment," said Rachel dryly.

"Why? Who got embarrassed? Did you take pictures?" asked Gar, getting up.

"You, you blonde Oompa Loompa. You were about to make out with Rachel in your sleep."

Gar turned a bright, bright red. "Well, will you look at the time. I think it's time to go home, don't you, Rae?"

* * *

... 


	7. Chapter 7

Just a slightly fluffy filler chapter to sum this part of the story up. I think next chapter is the one that most of you've been waiting for.

Disclaimer: I don't own TT or 24...but I love that game...

* * *

"Seven plus two is nine, times two is eighteen, plus six is twenty-four!" Gar shouted randomly. Vic, Dick, Karen and Kory eyed him strangely, and he blushed. Only Rachel smirked, knowing exactly what was going on. "Sorry," Gar muttered, glaring daggers at Rachel. It was _her_ who'd started him on this stupid game of '24', and it was seriously addicting. 

"Pick four numbers," she had said. "Add, subtract, multiply, and divide to get them to equal twenty-four. It almost always works." They'd started with the easy numbers first, like 7,5,7,5, and Gar got those fast. Now he was randomly choosing numbers around him, like the phone number of the school (as he'd just figured out now) and blurting out answers. He couldn't help it. Rachel had said this would help him problem-solve faster, but he had had no idea that his brain would concentrate on nothing else now.

"One plus one is two, times three is six, times four is twenty-four," Gar mumbled. Kory reached over and felt his forehead.

"You have no fever...then why are you multiplying at us?" Dick chuckled, and Gar glared at him as well.

"It's not _my _fault. Rachel just forgot to mention how addicting that game is. Blame it on her!"

Vic started clapping. "You must be a miracle worker, getting Gar addicted to math. Maybe you can magically give me an A on the exams?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah." She put the book she was reading on the lunch table, held her hands in front of his face, and clapped. Then she picked the book back up and resumed her reading. Vic blinked twice and scratched his bald head.

"What'd that do?"

"Absolutely nothing," Rachel answered, glancing up from her book. "You're not getting an A unless you study." Everyone laughed as Vic groaned, until Gar spewed out another '24' possibility. They all stared, their expressions clearly showing what they were thinking.

Nonetheless, Dick voiced it. "This is getting kinda creepy."

* * *

After lunch, ironically enough, was math. The only person Rachel ever bothered talking to in this class was Dick. He sat right next to her, and, she realized, hadn't been half bad to her for most of the year. "So. What happened between you and Kory?" she asked. Dick froze. 

"What d'you mean?" he asked slowly. Rachel sighed.

"Something _did _happen, right? You two are infuriating. _Do _something already."

Surprisingly enough, Dick's shoulders slumped. "I wish I could."

"Do you want to elaborate on that?"

"You've spent two days around her, Rachel. She's completely and utterly perfect. Why would she want to be stuck with someone like me?" Rachel actually snorted, and Dick got annoyed. "I thought you were gonna be my shrink for a little while. Shrinks aren't supposed to laugh at their patients."

"I wouldn't have, if what you said hadn't been ridiculous in every sense of the word. I had no idea you were so ignorant." Dick flushed, and started doodling in his notebook. "Honestly, if I could take you inside Kory's mind right now, she's probably thinking about--"

"Class, new student," their teacher grunted. Rachel and Dick glanced up interestedly, and nearly fainted with shock as they saw Gar bounce into the classroom. "Sit down," the teacher said as greeting. Gar didn't care, he'd spotted Rachel and Dick.

"Hey, you guys! Look at me! I'm in the _smarticle_ class!" he crowed. Rachel and Dick slumped down in their chairs as the whole class turned to look at them.

"We swear, we've never seen him before in our lives," Rachel muttered to them.

* * *

"That was just mean," Gar said to her as they walked to his house from school. "You guys should be glad to know me. I'm funny, and I've got great looks--that blonde in the front row was totally checking me out--and now I'm SMART, too!" 

"Uh-huh," Rachel answered. He kept ranting.

"And everyone sees us hanging out at lunch anyways, so I don't know why you guys would think anyone _wouldn't_ know you know me, and--" Rachel clapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him effectively.

"Gar, it's over and done with. We were joking. Deal with it." She removed her hand, and Gar opened his mouth to argue.

"Eight divided by two is four, plus eight is twelve, times two is twenty-four!" he said angrily. His eyes widened, and he clapped his own hand over his mouth.

"I never thought I'd find that game so entertaining," Rachel commented dryly. They stepped into Gar's house, where his mom was home and waiting for them.

"Hello, Rachel, Gar. How was your day?" She'd grown accustomed to Rachel's presence over the past few days, as she was usually home when they came for tutoring. Gar threw his backpack down and gave a wide smile.

"Guess what? I got switched up to A.P. math!" The statement did not fully hit Mrs. Logan until a few seconds later.

"You did _what_?" Gar backed away a few steps, and Rachel thought it was wise to do so as well. They couldn't escape the joyful raptures of Mrs. Logan, though. She flew at Gar, suffocating him in a hug that could rival one of Kory's. "Oh, Gar, I'm so proud of you! We never gave you that much credit, and now you're in the A.P. classes, and...oh!" She rushed over and enveloped Rachel in a hug as well. "It's all because you started to tutor him!"

Rachel's eyes bugged out, and she froze. Never had she been hugged by an adult before. Mrs. Logan let go, still squealing for some reason or other, and Gar was laughing at Rachel because of her supposed hatred of being embraced, but it was distant for her. She zoned out for a minute, trying to remember the last time she'd been hugged by her _own _mother.

Never.

Coming back to reality, Rachel shrugged. "He learns fast." It was time to focus on Language Arts, and she'd brought two huge books of dark poetry to study.

* * *

"Rae?" said Gar.

"Don't--"

"Call you Rae, yeah, I know. Just wanted to say, I think my mom likes you." She looked up at him and gave a half-smile.

"You think?"

"She practically wants to adopt you. But I didn't let her, 'cause I said the house would be way to clean if you decided to move in. I'd never find anything." The other corner of her mouth curled upwards at that. "Plus, I'd finish college a year early with you always nearby. My mom's afraid I won't be able to do my own laundry when I get out into the real world, so she's putting off that moment as long as possible." He scribbled something down on his piece of paper, a word to look up in the dictionary later. "You know, you look really pretty when you smile. You should do it more often."

Rachel looked down, hoping her curtain of hair would hide her blush. "Aw, how sweet of you."

"Isn't it? That's another reason you should be happy to know me, I'm the--"

"Rachel, dear? It's four o'clock, are you going home, or do you want to stay a little while until dinner?" Mrs. Logan called from the kitchen.

"I'm heading home right now, thanks anyway," Rachel called back. She picked up her things, and, as an afterthought, kissed Gar on the cheek. "I _am _happy to know you."

Gar watched in wonder as she left his house. He had this weird feeling, like something was fluttering in his stomach. Normally, that would mean he was nauseus, but he didn't think that was the case this time. "I'm glad to know you, too, Rae," he said softly to no one in particular. Looks like he was going to college a year early.

Then a jarring thought hit him. What if Rachel wasn't around for that long? After this year, the bet was done. But they could still be friends after that, right? there wasn't any law against it. Thoughts of the bet made guilty feelings crowd in Gar's mind. It wasn't fair to do that to Rachel. She was a friend to all of them.

Tomorrow, he decided. He'd tell Vic the bet was off for good.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Short chapter, but it gets the point across, I hope.

Thanks so much to Black Raven 13 for that CPR line! I thought it was hilarious .

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans

* * *

It was only two o'clock, but already as dark as night outside. Pitch black storm clouds had rolled in while everyone was at school, and the students groaned, thinking ahead to when they would have to walk home in the rain. The last, most stubborn leaves were forced to fall off the trees as a howling, almost tornado-like wind tore through the schoolyard. Gar was sure he'd get blown away. 

Turning back from the window, he glanced around his A.P. math class until his eyes met Dick's...or rather, Dick's sunglasses. They seemed like a part of Dick now, he wore them so often. The raven-haired teen nodded at him, showing he'd gotten the message. He was staying after school today, but for what, no one but Gar knew.

Gar only hoped Kory had spread the word to Vic and Karen. The cheerleader wasn't one to be irresponsible, but Gar himself had never handled something so important. No one ever trusted him with anything that could go wrong. It was like he had a huge sign around his neck that read 'I am a test subject for anything idiotproof...I'll prove them wrong.'

He honestly hoped he hadn't forgotten anything. All he was going to say is that the bet was off, and he'd even prepared a halfway decent argument on why he shouldn't have to wear the bikini because he was forfeiting. He'd brought the notecards and stuck them in his pocket, in case he missed something. Running over his points in his head again, he was snapped out of his trance by the teacher rapping her ruler on his desk and telling him that dozing off was not appreciated. Ignoring the laughs of the class, he turned to look out the window again.

The wind, currently scattering leaves all over the sidewalks, had already effectively scattered Gar's thoughts. He'd forgotten to tell Rachel not to come find him after school so she could tutor him.

* * *

Rachel grabbed the pre-cal book she was tutoring Gar out of, shut her locker, and then made her daily walk to Gar's. He wasn't there. Frowning, she waited for the traffic in the hallways to clear before heading to the gym. That's where he would have been, if he had had football practice. He'd never told her he was back on the team, but maybe his foot wasn't bruised or broken anymore. 

There was a curtain down in the middle of the gym. Apparently, last hour had been split in two: the people who were participating, and the people who had to run the entire period because they couldn't concentrate on a ball for five minutes. Rachel's side of the gym was empty, but she heard voices coming from the other side of the dark green curtain. It was Gar and Vic. She was about to walk around the curtain to go over there, but heard her name pop up.

* * *

"You guys? I wanted to talk about...you know...Rachel," Gar said nervously. 

"What? How much you're in love with her? I've got dating tips if you need them, man. You know how I got Karen to kiss me? I pretended I was drowning and she had to give me CPR--" Karen slapped a hand over Vic's mouth, cutting off his jokes.

"We've been thinking about that too, Gar, but tell us what you want to say," she replied.

"I think that bet shouldn't count anymore, and, well, it'd take me forever to explain it all, but I've got an entire argument ready if I need it. Just forget trying to make her laugh, forget Vic's robot suit, and forget that bikini idea. Please? Because--"

Kory laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Gar, we understand. We've all been feeling guilty about it, and we know you and Vic would much rather not humiliate yourselves. So, Vic, is this over and done with? It's your call to make." Karen pulled her hand off Vic's mouth, and he was about to answer, when a much colder voice answered for him.

"I should've known." The five friends turned around, shocked to find Rachel standing right behind them. "Make me laugh? That's got to be the stupidest bet in the world." She took a step forward, and they all backed up a bit. They'd never seen someone as angry as Rachel was now. "What's wrong? Scared of the freaky Goth? Think I'm gonna bite?"

"No, Rachel, you don't know the whole story--" Gar started pleadingly, but Rachel's eyes nearly flashed red at the sound of his voice.

"I don't need to know the whole story. You...you were the worst. I _trusted_ you." Gar opened his mouth to say something, still trying to plead with her, but Rachel came a step closer again. "You want a laugh?" She gave a dry, bitter chuckle. "There. You win. I hope you're happy now." All of a sudden, she shoved his pre-cal textbook into his stomach and ran off.

"Rachel! RACHEL!" Gar called, starting to run after her. The book dropped on to his feet, and he howled in pain. "_SHIT!_" Again, he started running, and heard all of his friends following as fast as they could. By the time they got out there, though, Rachel was a violet smudge amongst the bare trees. They all stopped, catching their breath.

No one broke the silence as the first raindrop hit Gar on the nose. Vic looked the most guilty of all, as he'd started this in the first place. He turned to Gar, a solemn expression on his face. "Well, man...you won."

"No..." murmured Gar, shaking his head slowly, his eyes never leaving Rachel. "I lost."

And the sky cried in what was called, the next day, as the heaviest rainstorm of the year, soaking them all to the bone.

* * *

There aren't a lot of chapters left...two or three, I think...depends... 


	9. Chapter 9

I'm sorry. I know I promised a longer chapter, but I just HAD to leave the chapter at the spot where it ends right now. But the paragraphs are pretty big, right? Heh.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Three days. Three days and Rachel had not come to school. Gar had sunk into his own little pit of misery, and his friends were pretty far down there as well. Vic and Karen were always talking to each other in low, solemn voices, glancing worriedly over to the spot where Rachel would have sat, had she been with them. Vic blamed himself entirely for all of this, because he'd made the betin the first place. No more, he'd told everyone else when Gar wasn't there. They were never doing something like this again. Him and the others spent more time away from Gar, as it was obvious the little guy just wanted to be left alone. Or, at least, it became obvious when Gar nearly snapped their heads off when they tried to comfort him.

Kory was miserable all the time, too. She'd been friends with Rachel, almost as close as Gar was to her, and she thought it was her fault for encouraging it in the first place. Dick then had to point out that it didn't matter whose fault it was; the deed was done. Kory had just buried her head in her hands, and Gar had started to yell at her.

"What is it to you? You barely even knew her like I did! Stop acting like you care, because I know you don't!" With the entire cafeteria staring at them, Dick had threatened to break Gar's nose if he ever said something like that to Kory again, and Gar had smashed his food into Dick's face before getting up to leave the lunch table.

Dick seemed to think that with one girl gone, another was sure to leave too. He was more overprotective of Kory than ever, though the redhead didn't seem to mind. Dick barely let go of her during the school time, and if they had separate classes he 'assigned' five different people in the same class to make sure she was okay. She was almost always sen nestled in his embrace while he comforted her, and most people thought they were just trying to get attention. Kitten Moth in particular was pretty angry about it.

Karen tried in vain to hold her four friends together. Gar had already broken off, and Dick and Kory were in danger of leaving, too. She just didn't know what to do. Normally Kory would be a help, but it was all the poor girl could do to get through her classes and deal with her sister at home. She'd always been far too emotional.

So the friends drifted apart, at least for the three days until a guest came to town.

* * *

Rachel knew she shouldn't feel abandoned or betrayed or used. This kind of thing had been happening to her all her life. She was the kind of person people would laugh at and entertain themselves with as they watched her suffer. Her personality was just like that. But she had no idea how easily she'd succumbed to this. She was smarter than that. She knew when things were hoaxes and when they were real. She had perfect judgement, and nothing could get past her.

Or so she had thought.

These people--idiots, the lot of them, half not even in A.P. classes--had managed to outsmart _her_. Was she really so desperate for companionship that she'd turned to _them_? And she actually thought they'd _accepted_ her? She must have been delusional. That didn't sound like her at all.

Even with all this reasoning going on in her head, she couldn't hide the fact that she was hurting. From the world, sure, but she'd always been very open with herself. She'd never lie to herself, and pretend everything was okay when it was not. She had thought these people were her friends. She shouldn't have, but she did. But somehow, someway, she'd never come to terms with the fact that she wouldn't always have to be lonely. One day, she'd be famous, inheriting Tristan Roth's fortune and donating to orphanages full of unwanted children. One day, when Tristan Roth wasn't alive to tell her that he held her life by a thread, and he could do whatever he wanted with her.

Maybe it was better this way. She'd never allowed herself to have friends, mostly because she could be taken away from them at a moment's notice, and leaving would hurt far less if there was nothing to leave behind. Now there really was nothing. She had never felt so hopeless.

It was a pretty sad attempt to comfort herself.

Wiping her tears before they left her eyes, she got off her chair and grabbed the mail she'd left on the table. Bills, of course. But where was the money her father was supposed to send her? It was almost a week overdue. He'd never been late before. Maybe he'd been busy, or maybe he'd forgotten. Who knows what old age could do.

Rachel shuffled through the papers once again. Not there. She would be in so much trouble if she sent in her bills late. Her tiny emergency cash store wouldn't be enough to cover half of this. She only saved about five dollars of every check he'd sent her.

Now thoroughly stressed, Rachel grabbed a drink out of her mini-fridge and popped off the cap. The phone rang, startling her. No one ever called her. No one had the number. Her father had even written a letter to the school requesting that her number remain unknown. So there was really only one person it could be. She set down her drink, her hands quivering. Talking to him always made her shaky. She picked up the phone and choked out, "Hello?" Her own voice sounded distant to her, and much different. Laced with tears.

"Hello, daughter dearest," greeted a frozen steel-like voice from the other side, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Daughter dearest. What a nice joke. "It's been a while."

* * *

For whoever was expecting her to know about the bet before Gar got the chance to explain it, I hope you weren't expecting this! Yeah, that's her dad...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans

When I left off, Rachel was in her house moping for three days and on the third day, she got a call from her father. The phone conversation is continued here.

* * *

"Mr. Roth," Rachel spat back. How _dare_ he call her his daughter?

"No need to be so cold, my dear." He paused, and Rachel imagined him smirking to himself. "To get to the point, Rachel, you are moving."

_"What?" _

"Moving. As of tomorrow, you are accompanying myself and the senior vice president of Roth Industries to Steel City, where we are building a branch. Apparently, however, the City is very conerned with the environmental issues with removing the forest they have left, and the protesters are arguing that they'd rather not have a business with no heart in their town." Tristan Roth tried not to growl at the thought. Once he became a respected member of _their_ society, he'd have to dispose of those people.

"I wonder why," Rachel mumbled to herself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. So what do you need me for?"

"You are to become Rachel Roth, the poor orphan I adopted out of the kindness of my heart. Play the part correctly and I'll be rid of you as soon as you are out of college. Then you may return to that pathetic place you call home." He snickered. "Are you happy living with roaches? You are lower than them on the social triangle, or so I remember."

Rachel felt her already tiny resolve disappear. He was right. He was always right. But that had been her choice. If something like this were to happen, where her father would call her away, she'd be torn. She'd've had something of importance to her here, but this way, she didn't.

She hated this place so much, and yet, she still couldn't bring herself to leave it. Had he asked before she'd met Gar, she'd have packed her bags that very second. Why was she arguing now? There was no point. Sighing into the phone, she asked only one more question.

"When?"

"Tomorrow at four, I will arrive there. The flight to Steel City leaves at six p.m. Be ready. I will not tolerate tardiness." He hung up the phone, and Rachel set hers down gently, taking a look around her house. Time to start packing.

* * *

Surely she'd come today, Gar told himself for the fourth day in a row as he walked up to the school. She couldn't stay away forever. There were still over six months left in the school year, and Rachel wasn't one to drop out.

However, as the day went on, he knew she wasn't there. Kory said she hadn't been in A.P. Language Arts in the morning, and Vic said she hadn't been in his history class either. More than a little depressed by the fact, Gar kept telling himself, _tomorrow. She'll come tomorrow._

He'd made regular trips to her house, or rather, he'd made regular trips to the house _across_ from hers, staring at the rundown building in hopes Rachel would come out of it. He'd sit there doing his homework, though not entirely getting it. It wasn't the same without Rachel there. But he was going to work until he dropped, if he had to. Rachel had been the one to get him in the A.P. math class, and he sure wasn't going to let her down again.

After school, however, when he traveled over there, a huge stretch limo was parked in front of the house. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, two men were putting a 'For Sale' sign in front of it. A third man, much more intimidating, stepped out of the limo, his silvery hair immedately blown back by the heavy wind, exposing slightly pointed ears. He was yelling at the men handling the sign, his face turning a steady red. Whether it was from the wind or blood pressure, Gar wasn't sure. The man's crisp suit crackled loud enough for Gar to hear it as the door of Rachel's house opened. She came out of it, holding a single suitcase and awkwardly carrying it over to the limo. The horrible truth struck Gar at once.

Rachel was leaving.

* * *

"You were almost late," said Tristan Roth coldly. "We have to be at the airport at five. Do you honestly think we'll get there now?" Rachel paid him no heed as she hoisted her suitcase into the trunk of the limo. Her father probably hadn't arranged for the limo because he was seeing his daughter for the first time in ten years, oh no. She was of no importance to him, he merely wanted to parade around who he was. She chose not to answer his question. 

Rachel felt like throwing up. She didn't want to go with him. She didn't want to spend six months acting like she was forever grateful to this man for rescuing her from some orphanage. But it really didn't matter what she wanted, as long as she threw up in the barf bags and not all over his precious belongings.

"RACHEL!" a very familiar voice called. Both her and her father turned to look, and it only made her feel more sick. Gar was running across the street, nearly falling flat on his face, he was tripping so much. Tristan raised one eyebrow, though Rachel didn't think he was amused.

"A friend of yours?" he asked maliciously. Rachel gulped, wondering what exactly he'd say about her to Gar if he found out she was close to him. He may not have seen her in ten years, but his memory was exceptional, and there was, more likely than not, something stored up there that would make Gar high-tail it back home.

"No." Gar visibly drooped, but he stood his ground.

"Mr. Roth? There's a call for you from the Junior V.P. He says it's important," called a man from inside the limo.

"It can wait," Tristan growled. "You. Get away from my daughter, understood? Or would you rather waste your time with depressed girls who have nothing better to do with their time but cut themselves? It would do you well to go." Rachel heard Gar inhale sharply, but she stared unmovingly at the ground. _That_ was supposed to remain private. That had stopped years ago, after her father had finally left.

"Rachel? Did you really--?" Gar began.

"Mr. Roth! This is urgent!" pleaded the man from inside the car. Smirking at Rachel, Tristan left to take the call. Gar burst into chatter as soon as her father was gone.

"Why are you leaving? What's going on? Why would you do that to yourself, Rachel? I don't understand!"

Rachel knew she shouldn't be taking this out on Gar. It wasn't his fault. Well, a little bit. But not all of it. Still, she glared at him, hoping her anger wasn't enough to burn a hole in his head. "I'm leaving because I don't have a choice. I never had a choice. I have no home without _him. _If I don't leave, I'm out on the streets. _That's _why."

"Why can't you just stay with Kory or Karen? Their mom's would die to have you in their houses, and then you wouldn't have to go!"

"Gar, you idiot! You and your friends are _all_ idiots, and I can't stand you! Get out of my life! You're the ones who set up that stupid bet in the first place, you _used_ me, and you _broke_ whatever heart I had left! Just leave me ALONE!" Rachel yelled, ready to slap the boy. She would have, too, if he his look of sorrow hadn't seemed so genuine. But she had no trust in her judgement anymore. Who knew what they had planned to do next?

"Rae...we didn't mean any of it, we swear. We didn't know you, we didn't know you'd be a best friend to us. It was wrong, Rae, but can't you forgive us?" he begged. Rachel almost did. She had no idea Gar could be serious, or convincing like this. But still, she'd been hurt one too many times, even if it was something stupid.

She turned away. "Just get away from me, Gar...I hate you, all of you."

For the longest time, there was silence, besides Tristan Roth on the phone, which could be heard outside the limo. She thought he'd left, and heaved a sigh. Without warning, tears ran down her face and dropped on to the sidewalk, and she wiped away the trails before her father came out and saw them.

All of a sudden, someone grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and spun her around. "You don't hate us, do you, Rae? You just don't give second chances. But we deserve a second chance. We're your friends, and we care about you. Or at least, they are." Gar had stayed. He grinned a little before leaning forward to kiss her.

Rachel was so shocked, she barely knew what was happening. One minute, she was kissing--actually kissing--Gar, and the next, he'd separated. "Please stay, Rachel. Please."

She took a shaky step back. "G-go. J-just leave." Gar hadn't been expecting that, or so she gathered. Once it hit him, he shrunk back.

"Rae..."

"Rachel! In the car, we have to leave!" yelled Tristan. Obediantly, she climbed in next to an old, greasy haired man who she assumed was the Senior V.P. He paid her no heed, but she didn't care, her reality still a little blurred. Gar had just _kissed _her.

_And_, she realized, twisting around so she could stare out the back window at his slouching form, _I'm leaving him behind_.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry, another short-ish chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

"Flight 429 to Steel City, please," Tristan Roth said. A woman took his three bags, and the senior vice president's luggage, and gestured to Rachel before answering. The teen shook her head no, clutching on to the handle of her suitcase. In the small black bag was everything she'd ever owned, and she wasn't taking the chance of it getting lost or something.

"Gate A13," replied the woman, never making eye contact with Rachel's father. She knew who he was, and she was afraid of doing the wrong thing. As if someone that rich had to be _worshipped_.

"Thank you," answered Tristan curtly, taking his laptop bag and leading the procession. Rachel followed slowly, trying to escape all notice, but it was impossible. Her father was the most well-known man in the business world. There was no other way he'd have been able to make her almost disappear from any record. The school she was in didn't even know she attended, and the hospital in which she was born had 'lost' all records. So used to hiding, it was a shock for Rachel to see people staring, whispering, and pointing at her like she was on display. They didn't know who she was. They would know nothing until Tristan Roth unveiled his 'adopted daughter' in Steel City.

"Move!" the greasy-haired senior V.P. hissed in her ear. She sped up, still trying to maintain a safe distance from her father.

They went through security, and those guards couldn't meet Tristan's eyes either. Rachel wanted to scream, "He's not a king, for Pete's sake, he's a _businessman!_" She doubted even kings got this much respect.

She could feel the frustration radiating off of her father. He wasn't used to taking public transportation, but with private jets and helicopters, reporters knew exactly where to look. And no one here could know that he was taking Rachel to Steel City. Who knew? Someone like that midget from earlier could actually _care_ and make a big scene out of trying to stop them. Besides, they were on a strict schedule, and had no time for press conferences. Maybe later.

They were very punctual in reaching the gate. Unaccompanied minors were just boarding. Rachel looked around for a place to sit, but her father stopped her, glaring. "You are not going anywhere," he hissed. Rachel gulped, nodding in obediance.

Glancing around, she realized this was the last time she would ever see her home city. From the window, far off behind the airplane, she could see the familiar skyscrapers, the offices inside starting to twinkle with lights as the sky began to darken. Somewhere between those huge buildings, she knew, lay the dilapidated house she'd lived in by herself for eight or so years. Somewhere near there was Kory's house, Dick's mansion, Vic's house, Karen's, and Gar's. Her throat choked up, but she refused to think any more of the matter. Gar was the one who'd hurt her in the first place, right? It didn't matter what else he did, she never forgave anyone. No one deserves two chances. And Gar had messed up the first chance big time. But she couldn't stay mad at him. It was something about him that made staying angry impossible.

Maybe she'd see him again in the future, if she came back here again. Maybe.

Her shoulders slumped, and she clutched her suitcase harder. Who was she kidding? This was her home. The only place she'd ever felt like she belonged, even if it was only for a little while. She couldn't leave.

* * *

Gar didn't know how he'd gotten home. He didn't remember the walk at all. All he knew was that he had collapsed on the couch in front of the T.V. and was staring at the black screen as if his eyes were glued to it. The doorbell rang, but he didn't bother trying to open the door. If it was his mom, she could let herself in. Anyone else would go away soon enough.

It was Mrs. Logan. "Gar? There are a few people here to see you." He shot up, hoping Rachel had reconsidered and come to tell him, but it was Dick, Kory, Vic, and Karen.

"Hey. What's up?" asked Vic anxiously. "I called, but you weren't home."

Gar grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "Leave me alone."

"Gar," Karen said soothingly. "Don't worry. I promise, come Monday, we'll convince Rachel we really do mean well. She'll come to see our side of the story."

"She's _moving_," he croaked.

"_What_?"

"To Steel City. Today." Kory clapped her hands over her wide open mouth, completely taken aback.

"Why?" she asked softly.

"I don't know..." Gar answered. He didn't feel like talking. Half-heartedly, he threw another pillow from the couch at the group. "Go away."

"Oh, Gar!" Kory came over and hugged him, as did Karen, and Vic and Dick stood around awkwardly. Vic looked like he was about to crack some joke about being a ladies' man to cheer Gar up, but Dick shot him a glare. It wasn't the time or place.

"I promise it'll work out, man. Something always does," Vic assured. Gar just shrugged. He knew it was hopeless. _He_ was hopeless.

* * *

"Tickets, please," said the man at the gate. Tristan handed him three tickets. The man counted, and counted again, and frowned. "I'm sorry sir, but there are only two people here. Who is 'Rachel Roth'?" Tristan's eyes widened, and he looked around wildly. He spotted an elevator door closing, and inside, his only daughter, clutching her suitcase with one hand and waving good-bye with the other. The doors closed.

"Sir?" asked the man. Tristan growled, slamming his hands down on the podium the man was behind. The poor guy stumbled back in fear. "I'm sorry, I just can't hold up the flight, and I was wondering..." Tristan tuned him out. They needed to get to Steel City on this flight. Chances were, Rachel was at least thirty seconds away, not counting the time to get back, and not counting the time it would take to get a new elevator. He couldn't get her. Tristan groaned. _I hate public transportation._

"Come on, Charlie. We're leaving without her."

* * *

I don't know if I should end the story here or add another chapter...


	12. Chapter 12

Oh wow, I got almost 40 reviews on the last chapter! I was originally going to end the story there, when I started this entire thing, but I had a little idea for an epilogue-y type chapter, and then I realized I forgot something very, very, very important...

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

"Enjoying yourself?" Gar asked cheekily. Rachel rolled her eyes at him, sipping her punch. The unnecessarily loud music was pounding in her ears, the swirling disco lights blinding her, and half their friends weren't there. Yeah, definitely enjoying herself. "C'mon, Rae, live a little. Come dance with me?" After a moment of careful consideration, she shrugged and nodded, following him out on to the dance floor. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist as a slow song came on, and she awkwardly looped her arms around his neck. She wasn't sure what to do, and followed his lead. She was probably the only girl in this entire year that hadn't ever danced with a guy before. "_Now_ are you enjoying yourself?" Gar asked hopefully. Rachel smiled a little bit, nodding.

_Flashback_

_The doorbell was ringing. Gar didn't feel like getting it. He was still moping over Rachel leaving, and hadn't left the couch. His mother had come home, trying to talk to him, but had given up after an hour of not getting a word out of him. She was out again, and, seeing how the doorbell would not stop, he opened the door. Imagine his surprise to see Rachel there, hugging the handle of a suitcase to herself and looking as surprised as he. _

_She lunged at him, hugging him, and Gar was far too shocked to respond. "Rachel? You're here? What...?"_

_"I ran away, Gar, I ran away." She was crying. He embraced her quickly._

_"Come on in, Rae, tell me the whole story. Hey, it's okay. Don't worry, Rae, everything will be okay."_

_They sat down on that infamous couch. With Rachel choking out the situation. "...And I just picked up my suitcase when he wasn't looking, and I made it to the elevator without him noticing. I don't know...I don't know what'll happen now, Gar. He might come for me...I don't know what he'd do. I hate him, Gar, I couldn't stay with him..."_

_"I know, Rae, you did the right thing." He'd never seen her break down before, and was already in complete emotional turmoil, and didn't know what to do. So he called up Vic, Dick, Kory, and Karen._

_They came almost instantly. After Kory was done smothering Rachel in her bone-crushing hugs, they all sat down and listened to Gar's retelling of Rachel's story. Kori frowned, waving it away. "There isn't a problem. Rachel is to stay with me. If her father decides to come back in town, we lead a protest to demolish his big offices. All solved. Now come on, Rachel, my mother won't be happy if we're late for dinner."_

_There was a speechless silence, which Dick broke by laughing. "How about we get Rachel's opinion on this, Kory?"_

_"No," Rachel said, shaking her head. "It sounds great, but...you wouldn't mind?"_

_"Of course not!"_

_"Besides the protesting thing, of course."_

_"Aw, man, I was waiting to get the old signs out," grumbled Vic. There was another silence, far more uncomfortable, as everyone held back laughter. _

_"Listen, Rachel--" Karen started._

_"It's okay. Forget it."_

_"No," said Gar firmly. "We're not forgetting it, Rachel. We're all really, really sorry. It was wrong. However stupid."_

_Rachel gave a small smile. "It's okay, Gar, like I said. Don't worry about it. That's what...friends...are for, right? To forgive each other.__"_

_Kori squealed with happiness, and Vic added in his own 'expression of joy.'_

_"How can he not worry? You should've seen him without you, Rachel, he was so lost," Vic guffawed. Gar turned a furious red._

_"Was not!"_

_"Yeah, your butt was glued to that thing, Gar, and you probably emptied five boxes of ice cream," Dick joked, pointing at the couch. Rachel rolled her eyes, ready to, once again, save Gar from being totally humilated. _

_End Flashback_

Now, five months later, Tristan Roth had made no appearance. On the news, it seemed that his project in Steel City was running smoothly enough without Rachel. The money for her house, however, had stopped coming. Her best guess was that he thought she was dead or at some home, and couldn't care less. The six of them were always alert, but each day it became less and less likely. Even if he did come for her, Rachel had realized, she had friends this time. He wouldn't ever take her again.

For the first time in her life, Rachel was practically worry-free, unless almost-freshman-in-college jitters were counted. It was the last dance of the year, and it went without saying that Gar and Rachel, daing for ages, were going together. And so were--

"Do you know where Dick and Kory are?" asked Karen worriedly, interrupting Rachel's pathetic attempt at slow-dancing. Gar shrugged.

"You know them. Probably in some corner making out. Why?" Karen mock-sighed.

"Sometimes I wish you hadn't gotten them together, Rachel. They just won't _separate_, if you know what I mean. Then, do you know where Vic is?"

A mischievous look flashed across Gar's face for a minute, though no one but Rachel caught it. "Don't worry, Karen. I'm sure he'll be here soon. Vic isn't one to back down on something like this." Karen frowned, noticing something was off.

"What do you mean, 'back down--"

"Hey, y'all!" called Vics booming voice. Karen turned around and paled.

"If anyone asks, I've never seen him before in my life," she whispered to Rachel and Gar before disappearing.

Calls of 'Yo, Robotman!' and 'Halloween was ages ago, Vic!' followed the star football player through the crowd. Gar was doubled over in laughter, but Vic seemed unperturbed. "Like the getup?" Vic asked Rachel, grinning widely. He was, as promised, dressed up in a robot costume from Halloween. Technically, Gar had won the bet, because Vic hadn't had time to call it off. Rachel smirked, nodding. Vic was then swept away by herds of laughing fans.

"You gotta admit, though, Vic's awesome at the robot," said Gar after catching his breath. Vic was currently entertaining a crowd of juniors and Gar and Rachel had stopped to watch.

"What's with Vic?" asked a voice behind them. It was Dick, and Kory with him.

"Well, you look like you've been having fun," commented Rachel, eyeing their messed-up hair and the lip gloss all over Dick. He shrugged, grinning sheepishly as he wrapped his arm around Kory's waist.

"We aren't the ones wearing a Halloween costume," Kory pointed out. "Why...?"

"He lost the bet, remember? Rachel laughed before he called it off. She said it was okay with her if we finished it up. We couldn't find a dress big enough for him, so we went with his robot costume idea. But he's milking it. That's so unfair. Do you think I would be this popular if I had to wear a pink bikini all summer?"

Dick smirked. "It's not his fault you're horrible at making up punishments."

Gar glared at him. "Kory, please shut him up."

She giggled. "My pleasure." She kissed him, and Dick managed to choke out, 'we're gonna go...dance...' before they disappeared into the crowd.

"Yeah right," Gar sniffed. Then a slow grin spread across his face. "Hey, Rae, you wanna go 'dance'?" He emphasized his point by making quotation marks with his fingers.

"No."

"Come on, Rachel! That is _so_ unfair. Dick and Kory kiss all the time!"

"Vic and Karen don't."

"So?"

"So, Dick and Kory are Dick and Kory. They can do whatever they want."

"Hmph." Rachel watched Vic as he attempted to do the worm in his bulky costume, and Gar slid over to her in what he probably thought was an inconspicuous manner. "Hey, Rachel."

"Garfield."

"Don't call me that! I didn't even call you 'Rae' that time!"

A little half-smile made it's way across Rachel's face. "If you call me by my full name, I'll call you by yours."

"But then you get mad 'cause I call you--wait a sec, are you giving me _permission_ to call you 'Rae'?"

Her smile grew wider. "I'm getting more punch."

"No, wait!" Gar followed her off the dance floor. "I need a written document! Next time, you can't blow up at me!"

Rachel chuckled, shaking her head. "How about on a napkin?"

"That'll work!" said Gar enthusiastically. He grabbed a pen off the sign-in desk and handed it to her. "You write while I dictate. I, Rachel...what's your middle name?"

"Does it matter?"

"Whatever. I, Rachel Roth, promise to never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever..."

"Gar..." Rachel started warningly.

"...Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever...hey! You missed an 'ever'!"

"No, Gar, I stopped writing. That's a stupid written document."

"Sorry, old habits. How else do you think I get five hundred words on an essay?"

Rachel grinned devilishly and lifted her cup over Gar's head. "Yeah, old habits, I can relate."

"NO! Not the hair, anything but the hair!" Seeing as this wasn't working, he tried a different tactic. "You look really pretty when you're about to spill a cup of punch on my hair, Rae." Then he pressed his lips to hers, so Rachel dropped her cup behind him in surprise. He didn't hear anything falling out. Empty. Gar would've slapped his forehead, if he hadn't been kissing Rachel. It would be hard to explain why he'd hit the back of her head for no reason.

"Fine. I'll write," Rachel said breathlessly when they pulled apart. Gar grinned. "I swear, I should be..." She smirked again. That couldn't be good news. "How about this instead, Gar. Let's make a bet. I dare you not to call me Rae for the rest of the week. If you do, you're wearing a hot pink bikini of Kory's the entire summer."

Gar gulped. _Here we go again_.

* * *

I hope that was a more satisfactory ending and that you all liked the story. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! 

HPFan1994


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